A Modest Proposal, must have have blown some minds when it was written because it sure blew mine. This satire is without a doubt pretty disturbing but I think it achieves its purpose to perfection. The grotesque idea of eating another human being, not only a human being but a child, is presented with such nonchalance; Swift presents it as the most logical and humane thing in the world which is the beauty of satire. Its like a metaphorical conceit of sarcasm, that drives Swift's point home with clarity.
Lines like " Those who are more thrifty(as I must confess the times require) may flay the skin of which, artificially dressed, will make admirable gloves for ladies and summer boots for fine gentlemen". How sick is that? Make you never want to eat again kind of sick. But at the same time it perfectly illustrates what was going on in that society and in some ways what is now going on in ours. The book says that Swift believed Ireland to be its own worst enemy. The idea of cannibalism provides the perfect metaphor for that nations self-destructive tendencies, which I believe we are beginning to see in this one. Is our society not all about the individual's wants, needs, their consumption? Are we not all willing to "devour" others to keep ourselves on top? Its a scary thought. A declining society is one that has forgotten how to care about others. I think we might be well on our way to eating out hearts out. Metaphorically.
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